Boren Scholarship Recipient

Alexandra Wagner ’17 has been awarded a Boren Scholarship by the U.S. Department of Defense to study Portuguese in Brazil for six months next spring.

“My ILR experience and past international activities sparked my interest in a career with the government wherein I can focus on labor-related research and public policy,” Wagner said.

Wagner said her passion for international affairs came from her experience as a first-year student with ILR’s Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement India Global Service Learning Program.

“This experience in India opened my eyes to the possibility of furthering my research and academic studies in an international environment,” Wagner said.

ILR International Programs Associate Director Donna Ramil said Wagner is a great example of a student leveraging experience built through the school’s unique program.

“Alexandra is well on her way to fulfilling her career goal of working in international affairs,” Ramil said.

Wagner, a second-generation ILRie, is the daughter of Michael Wagner ’86.

As a Boren Scholar, Wagner commits to working for the federal government for one year after she graduates.

The Boren Scholarship is sponsored by the National Security Education Program, which is hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense. The program provides students with opportunities to study hunger, sustainability and other issues in areas “critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.”

Students study in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.